US President Joe Biden has pledged that he was "all in" to seek reelection in next November's election and assailed Donald Trump's record as president, in his first political speech since his Republican rival's attempted assassination.
Mr Biden was greeted by chants of "four more years" as he spoke to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) annual convention in Las Vegas.
He said that he was grateful that Mr Trump was not seriously hurt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last weekend, but roundly criticised him on a variety of fronts including his handling of the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I am all in," said Mr Biden.
The attempt on Mr Trump's life prompted the Biden campaign to pull its television ads, call off verbal attacks on the former president and focus instead on a message of unity.
The campaign's strategy previously was to focus on tough criticism of Mr Trump as a threat to US democracy and to highlight his failure to admit his 2020 election loss and his felony convictions.
Now, it is trying to calibrate a less pugilistic message that still strikes a stark comparison between the two candidates
"Our politics got too heated," said Mr Biden.
He also called for a ban on the type of semi-automatic rifle that was used in the attempted assassination of Mr Trump.
"Join me in getting these weapons of war off the streets of America. An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump... It's time to outlaw them," Mr Biden told the NAACP convention.
Biden calls for ban on type of gun used in Trump attack
Earlier, Mr Biden said he was wrong to call for Donald Trump to be put in the "bullseye" in the race for the White House.
"It was a mistake to use the word," Mr Biden told NBC when asked if he had gone too far with his rhetoric against the newly confirmed Republican nominee.
"I meant focus on him, focus on what he's doing. Focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate," said Mr Biden.
The assassination attempt, in which Mr Trump was grazed in one ear, shocked a nation already deeply polarised ahead of the November election.
Following the assassination attempt, Mr Biden said he feels "safe with the Secret Service".
Mr Biden praised agents for "risking their lives" but told NBC it was still an "open question" whether they should have anticipated the shooting that took place on Saturday at Mr Trump's campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Several prominent Republicans have since accused Mr Biden of having responsibility for the assassination attempt because of his language against Mr Trump.
"The central premise of the Biden campaign is that president Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs," said JD Vance, who was announced as Mr Trump's running mate for the 2024 ticket.
"That rhetoric led directly to President Trump's attempted assassination," wrote Mr Vance on social media.
Mr Biden also weighed in on Mr Trump's selection of Senator Vance as his running mate.
Asked by NBC's Lester Holt what Mr Vance's selection said about Mr Trump's values, Mr Biden replied: "He's going to surround himself with people who agree completely with him."
The President also noted some of Mr Vance's previously critical comments about Mr Trump.
Mr Biden had made the initial comments in a call to Democratic donors early last week.
"It's time to put Trump in the bullseye," the president said, in a call that was intended to galvanise supporters amid growing dissent over Mr Biden's continued candidacy.
Those divisions emerged from Mr Biden's disastrous debate performance last month, in which the president slurred his words, spoke incoherently at times and stood with mouth agape while Mr Trump talked.
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The President's interview with NBC was the latest post-debate attempt by the White House to assuage growing fears over the 81-year-old president's age and mental state.
Speaking without the aid of a teleprompter, Mr Biden told Mr Holt that his mental sharpness was "pretty damn good".
"I'm old," Mr Biden told the US broadcaster, according to a transcript.
"But I'm only three years older than Trump, number one. And number two, my mental acuity has been pretty damn good," he said.
He added "I understand why people say, 'God, he's 81 years old. Whoa. What's he going to be when he's 83 years old, 84 years?' It's a legitimate question to ask."
While accepting his language against Mr Trump had been a "mistake," Mr Biden said it was right to maintain focus on the threat posed by another Trump presidency.
"Look, I'm not the guy that said, 'I want to be a dictator on day one,'" he said, referring to remarks by Mr Trump that alarmed many people.
Asked if Mr Trump's shooting had changed the trajectory of the election, Mr Biden replied: "I don't know, and you don't know either."
Mr Biden sparred with Mr Holt, asking "why don't you guys ever talk about the 18-20 lies he (Trump) told" during the debate.
He also reacted sharply when asked if he would "get back on the horse" and add a third debate, replying: "I'm on the horse, where have you been?"
Mr Biden confirmed that he would still take part in the second debate in September.
